A Beauty Buff’s Guide to Journaling: Prompts from Timeless Beauty Icons
Kickstart your journaling journey with a little help from our favorite beauty icons of the last century.
Beauty is all about individuality and signature style. This confinement period has provided us plenty of alone time to reflect and get to know ourselves all over again. In fact, some might say we’ve spent a little too much time all by our lonesome — but perhaps it’s time to change the way we view solitude. Spending meaningful time with ourselves combats feelings of loneliness and strengthens sense of self. Some of your best thinking and strongest soul searching might come at a time of pause. And what better way to fill a time of pause than with journaling?
You’ve taken all the personality quizzes you could possibly stomach, thumbed through all the books on your must-read list, tried every face mask in your self-care arsenal — now what? Perhaps it’s time to start a lifelong conversation with yourself in a journal, one that uncovers new thoughts each day. And there is nothing more special than revisiting journal entries of years passed and seeing pieces of yourself left along the way. BWB wants to help kickstart your journaling journey with a little help from our favorite beauty icons of the last century.
“I believe in manicures, I believe in overdressing, I believe in primping at leisure and wearing lipstick.” — Audrey Hepburn
Make a list of things that you believe in wholeheartedly, whether it be a person or an activity or even just yourself. Keep the list going or expand upon one item in your list. What makes you believe deeply in something? How does it invigorate and motivate you each day?
“Spend less time in the mirror and more time feeling wonderful.” — Frederic Fekkai
When you’re not in front of the mirror, how else do you spend time with yourself? How do you get to know yourself beyond your own reflection? Or perhaps beyond your social media presence?
“Fragrance is an incredibly intimate thing. It can evoke very specific thoughts or memories and is a little different for each person who wears it. I also think it’s the most accessible luxury.” — Elizabeth Taylor
If you could create any fragrance, what memory would you choose to define the scent? Perhaps you want to reproduce the smell of your grandmother’s blouse or the smell of your childhood home on a Sunday morning. What scent is iconic to you?
“What could be more beautiful than a dear old lady growing wise with age? Every age can be enchanting, provided you live within it.” — Brigitte Bardot
Write down 10 things you are grateful for about today. Do this just before you go to bed. Give yourself a break from the noise of the past and future; don’t forget to appreciate what you have today.
“To find out who you are is like putting yourself on a psychiatric couch, but you have nobody to help you. Really it isn’t easy. I was talking with my nephew this morning and he gave me one of the best quotes I’ve heard in years, ‘Personal style is curiosity about oneself.” — Iris Apfel
What was the most recent “new thing” you tried that you ended up loving? Recall how you were feeling before and after. Is this something you’ll stick with? If not, why do you think it left a positive impact on you anyway?
“If you haven’t cried, your eyes can’t be beautiful.” — Sophia Loren
When was the last time you cried? Was it out of sadness, joy, anger, or something else? How did you feel afterwards?
“I’ll be a wife and mother first, then First Lady.” — Jacqueline Kennedy
Beyond your job title or career, what do you identify as? How do you perceive yourself? Try to come up with three words first that best define who you think you are/wish to be, and then elaborate.
“Elegance is not standing out, but being remembered.” — Giorgio Armani
When was the last time a stranger left a positive impression on you? Maybe that person is now a good friend, or maybe you never saw that person again. What about them made them memorable to you?
“If I’m going to sing like someone else, then I don’t need to sing at all.” — Billie Holiday
Name one important hobby of yours. Write down why you love it and how it makes you feel. Then, try to think of some creative ways to add your own individual touch to it.
“If you allow yourself, you can become stronger in the very places you’ve been broken.” — Jane Fonda
Write about a moment of pain you’ve been through in your life where you’ve come out the other end and are grateful for the experience because of the positives that resulted from it. Maybe it was something from your childhood, a breakup, or getting let go from a job. Remind yourself why the storm is necessary for the rainbow.
Feature Image Credit: Alicia Zhang
Teresa Deely is a graduate from Columbia University with majors in English and Creative Writing. She is a freelance writer and marketing assistant working for clients in the wellness, jewelry, creative, and sports industries. She believes that one’s skin is yet another canvas and vehicle for art, and has loved styling her hair and applying makeup from a young age. Spending much of her time in educating youth and leading enrichment programs for children, she is highly motivated in discovering new ways to care for herself and sharing them with others.
Originally from Los Angeles, Alicia lived in Shanghai for 11 years before moving back to the states to attend the University of Miami, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in public relations and minors in art and philosophy. Currently residing in New York City, Alicia applies her knowledge of strategic communication and design in her career. She enjoys painting, rugby, exploring, and more often than not, you’ll find her petting someone’s dog.
Some of your best thinking and strongest soul searching might come at a time of pause.
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